Life After Death
by Tweyelite
Summary: F/F Slash! Xena And Gabrielle after the deaths of their children.


Life After Death  
  
Gabrielle walked away from the two funeral piers. Her daughter, such a sweet face and under it such evil. And Solon, the innocent boy that never knew his mother was alive. Gabrielle had never felt so alone. She wandered aimlessly for hours, wallowing in her pain, not even watching where she was going. Finally she fell in exhaustion. When she awoke she realized she was at the same river they'd camped at only days before. She just sat there in front of the river. A great anger rose inside of Gabrielle and she started crying, yet again, she'd thought she'd ran out of tears. She tore her clothes from her body and savagely threw them away.  
  
She sat there, naked, facing the river. She was now devoid of emotion. Not feeling the chill of the morning breeze or the lump of hurt that had been there only moments before. Something had snapped inside of her.  
  
Xena heard Gabrielle's words as she'd left, and it only had made her feel worse. How could she forgive Gabrielle for lying to her? Betraying her? Causing her sons death? Xena didn't know how to find her way through this one. Her mind was a black fog. She grappled with her feelings and her thoughts. She secluded herself for days in an amazon hut that had been provided. She was filled with hate and rage, all directed towards Gabrielle. She took Argo and went in search of this person that had claimed to be her best friend. Gabrielle was not hard to track, she'd left a trail a mile long and Xena found her in less than a day. She saw the back of Gabrielle, she was naked, Xena realized. She slid her breast dagger from its sheath and stealthily crept up behind Gabrielle. She put the dagger to Gabrielle's creamy white neck, and held it there.  
  
"Hello Gabrielle." Xena purred.  
  
"I knew you would come." Xena heard her say, it startled her, the voice she heard was not that of the women she knew.  
  
"I'm here to kill you, you know." Xena said wanting Gabrielle to feel fear.  
  
"I know, let me help." Gabrielle replied, leaning her neck so the tip of the blade cut into her delicate flesh.  
  
Xena saw the blood trickle down Gabrielle's neck and onto the top of her breast. She scooped it up with the tip of her finger and squished it between her fingers.  
  
"Do it Xena, you have every right, it was my fault, we both know it." Gabrielle whispered.  
  
Then Xena not only felt rage, she felt passion and love, all at once, as she looked down at the naked form of Gabrielle.  
  
She dropped the dagger and pulled Gabrielle's head back roughly and kissed her, hard, hard enough to bruise.  
  
She pushed her to the ground and got on top of her. That was the first time she saw Gabrielle's eyes. They were, empty.  
  
Xena pulled away, the surprise and fear on her face.  
  
"What happened to you?" Xena said with surprising tenderness.  
  
"When I saw your face at the funeral I knew it was over. You were all I was and all I am. And now I am dead inside. You know I actually spent the first few days here trying to clean myself, I kept bathing, over and over and over.."  
  
Gabrielle kept saying 'over and over' and eventually it turned into a sob and then a scream. Gabrielle's tiny frame shook in sobs. Xena realized, only then, that she should have known Gabrielle was lying, Gabrielle had killed Najara and had nightmares for months, she wouldn't be able to kill her own child, no matter how evil and monstrous. Xena, in a moment of clarity, realized she could never live without Gabrielle, living without Gabrielle would leave her devoid of emotion, just like Gabrielle was at this very moment.  
  
Xena gathered Gabrielle in her arms and rocked her like a mother would her child. Gabrielle sobbed, endlessly it seemed, till her exhausted body fell asleep. Xena held Gabrielle all night.  
  
Gabrielle felt warm, it had been so long since she'd felt anything at all. She opened her eyes to see Xena, holding her. All the memories flooded back.  
  
"Xena?" Gabrielle said, her voice husky from the nights crying.  
  
"Gabrielle." Xena choked as a tear fell from her eye.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Gabrielle asked, fearful of the answer.  
  
"We're going to go on, together."  
  
The days after that were all about healing for the two women, they talked more openly then they ever had before, and became closer for it. Gabrielle purposely avoided asking Xena why she'd kissed her and Xena hadn't mentioned it again. Eventually Gabrielle's dreams quit being about Hope, Solan, and Najara, and they all became focused on Xena.  
  
Xena was kissing her, hard, full of passion, touching her, all over and then.. Gabrielle awoke suddenly, breathing heavily. The dreams seemed so real, and vivid. Xena was sleeping soundly right beside her and she looked so beautiful. Gabrielle couldn't help but touch her face, her cheeks and her hair. Gabrielle smiled, love welling up deep inside of her. Xena opened her eyes and smiled at Gabrielle to reassure her that what she was doing was okay. Gabrielle didn't know what possessed her but she leaned and kissed Xena quickly, before she had a chance to change her mind. Once Gabrielle realized Xena was responding she slipped her tongue into Xena's mouth, exploring it fully and thoroughly, so much so that Xena was whimpering with need.  
  
Gabrielle pulled away slowly.  
  
"Xena I want you, I need you, I love you." Gabrielle whispered into Xena's ear.  
  
Xena wondered if Gabrielle knew how seductive she sounded or what her voice was doing to her body as shivers ran down her spine. Xena slid her sleeping shift off easily over her head to reveal her nude bronzed body. Gabrielle's heart was already pumping fast but now it felt like it was going to beat out of her chest.  
  
"You are so gorgeous."  
  
Xena just smiled and lay back down exactly where she had been. Gabrielle also took her shift off, surprised she didn't feel the least bit embarrassed. Gabrielle could feel Xena's eye's rake her body and the fact that Xena wanted her made her feel powerful. She lay down beside Xena and ran the tip of her index finger from Xena's forehead, down her nose, over her lips, past her throat, between her breasts and directly to her center. Xena could only hope that what was happening was not a dream. She wanted Gabrielle so badly she could barely speak.  
  
"Please." was all Xena could manage.  
  
Gabrielle kissed Xena's supple lips passionately and languidly, savoring every movement, every sound, and every taste. Gabrielle needed to taste all of Xena. She kissed and licked Xena from her neck all the way down her right arm. She took Xena's hand and kissed the knuckles and then she ran the tip of her tongue up Xena's middle finger and enveloped it with her mouth, sucking on it softly. Xena's pasasion was quickly rising as she watched in rapt attention Gabrielle worship her. Gabrielle then leaned down between Xena's legs and tasted the very essence that is Xena. Xena's hips jerked towards Gabrielle's mouth instinctively. Her hot tongue was doing things to Xena she had never imagined. The thought that it was Gabrielle touching her, tasting her, alone was enough to make Xena explode. Xena held back for as long as possible, but Gabrielle never let up. Her tongue slid through Xena's wet folds again and again, each time coming back to her center. Xena's body began to spasm and she let out a long drawn out moan. Gabrielle kept her mouth on Xena throughout her orgasm and only raised from her when she had completely stopped moving. Gabrielle couldn't keep her hands off Xena for a moment as she slid her body on top of Xena's.  
  
"Gabrielle" Xena said as her voice broke.  
  
"Shh my love, rest."  
  
"How did you know how to do that?" Xena asked, still amazed.  
  
"I have many skills." Gabrielle smirked as she raised her eyebrow, imitating Xena. They both laughed and then Xena pulled Gabrielle to her and held her firmly and gently, in a lovers embrace.  
  
"I love you Gabrielle, you are a part of my soul."  
  
"I know Xena, I've always known."  
  
The sounds heard from that camp were lost upon the forests animals and they continued for some time afterwards..  
  
The End 


End file.
